[TARGETS] Starting now

 || Republic Commando: Targets || 2005 || Short story || Military, Sci-fi || 18+ for violence and harrowing themes || 

I remember reading Targets when I started to transcribe it from that barely readable photos of that magazine, but by the time I was halfway done, someone else uploaded all the RepComm pdfs and I kinda wanted to kill myself so I put the project on hold. Anyway. You probably don't read any of my blogs, but thanks for uploading, especially Targets.

Summary: 
A group of terrorists has taken a senator hostage on Coruscant, and it's up to a crack team of clone commandos to defuse the dangerous situation.  

This is the short story that first introduces Kal Skirata and Ordo Skirata in person, so I figured this is a good place to start with them. AGAIN. :D

[TARGETS] Kal's habits

|| Republic Commando: Targets || 2005 || Short story || Military, Sci-fi || 18+ for violence and harrowing themes ||

“What was that noise?” Niner said. “Testing the new armor, Sarge.”

“Testing my patience more like.” He made an irritated click with his teeth, just like Kal Skirata used to; Fi could see more of their old training sergeant’s habits in Niner with every passing day. He glanced around the room.

*Taking notes of Kal's physical habits through Niner*

[TARGETS] Godddddd this man

|| Republic Commando: Targets || 2005 || Short story || Military, Sci-fi || 18+ for violence and harrowing themes ||

…a scruffy, wiry little man who looked old enough to be everyone’s father, a man with a face as wrinkled as his clothes, buzz-cut gray hair, and a limp that didn’t stop him covering the ground like a racing odupiendo.
(...)
“Who let that vagrant in?” demanded Obrim.
“That,” said Fi, “is the man who taught us all we know.”
Obrim sighed. “We’re screwed, then.”

I want Kal's socks to be a biohazard when he takes off he his shoes once a week, PLEASE.

[TARGETS] Sergeant noticed me

|| Republic Commando: Targets || 2005 || Short story || Military, Sci-fi || 18+ for violence and harrowing themes ||

He grinned up at Fi as if he recognized him, but that was impossible. He’d had a hundred identical young commandos in his batch. He couldn’t possibly remember. He couldn’t possibly see past the visor, either.
(...)

Fi touched his fingers to his helmet anyway, even if Skirata was out of uniform. “Sarge, what are you doing here?”

“Where there’s trouble, Fi, there’s always a job for me. Special security adviser now.” Oh, he knew. How? How? “Nice new armor. Going on a date? And who’s he?”

Fi followed Skirata’s gaze. “That’s Atin. Hang on, how do you—”

Fi is having this SENPAI sensei NOTICED ME moment, but also Kal KNOWS that Atin is not one of his kids/cadets. This guy is really something.

[TARGETS] Being scared shitless makes him angry

|| Republic Commando: Targets || 2005 || Short story || Military, Sci-fi || 18+ for violence and harrowing themes ||

“What do you use for brains, Fi?” Skirata hissed, supporting Fi’s shoulders. “You’re a di’kut.”

Fi could feel bruises forming everywhere he had places. He sat upright with some difficulty. “Thanks for the sympathy, Sarge. I’m fine.”

“You trust that pretty armor a lot more than I would.” Skirata suddenly shook him fiercely by the shoulder. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again, son. You hear? Let the cops look after themselves.”

Kal feels like a guy who when he gets so scared shitless, he turns angry and he express his worrying by being aggressive. Very emotional and physical. His all-time description of being a small aggressive man start to make sense by these small details. 

Being angry usually hides deeper emotions, like fear and similiar emotional vulnerabilities.

[TARGETS] Nice skirt

|| Republic Commando: Targets || 2005 || Short story || Military, Sci-fi || 18+ for violence and harrowing themes ||

The ARC stared down at him, fists on hips. Skirata kept calling him Ordo: Skirata insisted men had names, not numbers, whatever the rules said.

“Nice move,” said Ordo.

“Nice skirt.” Fi indicated Ordo’s battle-scarred belt-spat, shredded at the hem like a flag that had been left too long on its mast. Fi wiped his armor, trying to forget what was smeared on the plastoid-alloy but the smell kept reminding him. “Really suits you. Handwashable?”

Ordo’s expression was hidden behind his visor but his tone wasn’t. “It’s a kama,” he said, all ice.

“Someday, Fi, someone’s going to belt you one,” Atin muttered. “And it’s probably going to be Ordo.”

I have multiple readings about the skirts jokes in RepComm:

1. Karen Traviss was forbid to explicitly write about queer relationships in RepComm (hello, we are in 2005) but she managed to put subtle gay jokes in it.
2. It's a depiction of the sissyfication as a form of humiliation in IRL military between men. A form of toxic masculinity. 
3. The author wanted to put a contrast between aruetii cultures and Mandalorian culture. In Mandalorian culture wearing a "skirt" - KAMA - is not something inherently masculine or feminim, but when exposed to people who have gender binaries in mind, people will think men in skirt are fetishists, weirdos, gay, transwomen, etc... -> It makes you wonder where Fi was exposed to bigotry like this that made him aware of calling a men wearing a skirt can be an insult. Not from Kal or the Nulls that's for sure. 

The skirt joke will be a reoccuring thing in Triple Zero and Fi is doing that because he knows he can tease Ordo with it (Ordo REACTS) and also knows he can get away with it (more or less).

But as for this scene in the present, Fi is in shock. He barely can't believe he survived the explosion and the first thing he does is mouth with Ordo. So I don't think he had malicious intents like deliberately humiliating Ordo. Doing jokes likes this is his coping mechanism so he doesn't fall apart right on the spot: 

But Fi didn’t know any other way to keep his gut from shaking at times like this. It was how he coped. He was relieved and he was shocked, and now he had to get on with the job.